She grabbed her phone and called Mia in California. “Hey, just wanted to check in,” she said when Mia answered.
“Did you see it yet?” Mia’s voice was eager. “What do you think?”
Rachel nearly sighed. She didn’t really want to talk about work, but what did she expect when she called The Rachel Touch PA? “Just a quick look but it’s pretty much a blank canvas. Lots of potential.”
“Did you see him?”
There was no point in playing dumb. Mia had noticed her reaction to Beckett’s name, even if Stu hadn’t. “Just for a minute. He’s not going to be easy to work with, but I’m a pro. I can do it.” She hoped.
“I know you can.” The ever-faithful assistant, the constant cheerleader. “He looks really hot. I mean, in the pictures on the business Facebook page. Does he have tattoos? It looks like he has tattoos.”
She remembered the muscular arms covered in sexy ink. “Yes, he has a lot of tattoos on his arms.” Not that she’d had a chance to see if he had them anywhere else. Not that she wanted to find out if he had more ink. “I didn’t get a close look at them.”
Mia sighed in appreciation. “Can’t wait to get there and see him in person.”
“Any idea when that will be?”
“I’m still waiting to hear from Stu about the schedule, but one of us will call you as soon as we know.” Rachel heard Mia’s doorbell. “Oops. Gotta go. Girls’ night out.”
Girls’ night out. Rachel had given those up years ago to work toward her goal. She’d sacrificed friends, family, everything to focus on her career. She couldn’t lose her show after all that.
“Sure. Have fun. See you soon.” After she disconnected the call, Rachel pulled up some music to stream and fill the silence. Knitting was also a great stress reliever. She pulled out the yarn and needles and began a new scarf. Her first day in Lakeside turned out to be just as stressful as she thought it would be, so she pushed Beckett and work and her family out of her head and got lost in the stitching.
…
“You’re leaving for Hershey in a week?” Beck sat on the back deck at Davis’s house as the two of them watched their daughters play. Davis wrote political thrillers and must be doing damn well because he put in an in-ground pool last summer. The girls were already splashing and laughing in there.
Davis nodded. “Emmie’s looking forward to seeing her mom.”
Beck wasn’t sure how he’d feel sharing a vacation with Crystal if things had been different, if she’d lived after she said she was leaving him. Davis’s ex travelled all over the world for her job, but Suzanna always scheduled the two weeks after school ended to meet Davis and Emmie and spend time with her daughter.
“But I want Holly to come, too!” Emmie shouted from the pool.
“Dad said I can’t.” Holly sent him her legendary pout. “You need to spend alone time with your mom.”
“Mom said it would be okay,” Emmie said. “Didn’t she, Dad?”
Davis glanced at Beck. “Suz said it was fine with her.”
Holly bounced in the water. “Rides and chocolate, Dad. It would be so much fun. Please?”
He wasn’t ready to send her away for two whole weeks yet. “One of these days, sweetie.”
Davis changed the subject. “How did things go with your dad this morning?”
Beck told his friend about the deal Pop and Noah had made with the Home Improvement Network. Davis hadn’t moved to Lakeside until after Rachel was long gone, so he didn’t react to her name. But at least he was as surprised as Beck was about the whole thing.
“A reality show? Are you kidding me?”
“That was my thought. And with Rachel Bradford of all people.”
“Why? What’s wrong with her? I watch her show with Emmie sometimes. She seems down-to-earth and funny.”
“It’s called acting. Reality shows aren’t really reality. Everyone knows that.”
“So? You’re going to get your bar ready to open. You don’t have to pay for professional design or the workers to complete it. Sounds like a win to me.”
“I still don’t want her touching my place.”
“Why not?”
“She’s never designed a bar before. She could screw it up.”
“This is going to be on TV. This is her career. She’s not going to want to ruin her reputation by screwing up a project.”
He was right, of course. Or maybe not. “She could give me a design that’s totally wrong for the bar.” Tulips and butterflies. “It could make for good drama. They’ll do anything for ratings.”
“Do you really think she’d do that? In her own hometown?”
“We rub each other the wrong way. Me and Rachel. Always have, since back in school. It’ll be awkward and uncomfortable.”
“Come on. You’re both professionals.”
“How do I know if I can trust her?”
“You really are worried about trusting her? What happened between the two of you, anyway?”
“Nothing in particular.” Shit, he was lying to his best friend. “We never got along. I mean, we didn’t have any of the same friends but we’d still run into each other. She wore this snooty little smirk all the time that told everyone she thought she was better than them.”
“You still haven’t told me what was so bad you think she might want to mess up your place on purpose.”
Besides all the tit-for-tat crap they pulled on each other? “I was eighteen and stupid. I spread a story about her and I might have embellished a little bit.”
Davis raised a judgmental brow. “You mean you lied?”
“She was a bitch to me all through high school, so she deserved it. At least at the time I thought she deserved it.”
“But she knows it was a long time ago.” When Beck didn’t say anything, Davis added, “And you know it was a long time ago, right?”
“Sure.”
“So was it awkward? When the two of you talked this afternoon?”
“Tense. And I’m supposed to be nice to her?”
When Davis continued to stare at him, Beck almost squirmed in his seat. “Did you apologize?”
“What? No.” He took a deep drink of his beer. “I just want to forget about everything. We should be past all that. I’m not that guy anymore.”
“Would it make things less uncomfortable if you apologized?”
He couldn’t imagine anything that would make them comfortable working with each other. Still, he hesitated before he said, “No.”
Davis leveled his gaze. “It sounds like this project is going on whether you cooperate or not. If you don’t get involved, it’s going to happen without you. And that’s how it could get messed up.”
“There has to be another way.”
Davis put down his beer and turned to face him. “Forget about the reality show aspect for a minute.”
“Kind of hard.”
“You can do it. Think about what you’ve been working for this past year. The time and money you’ve put into it. What’s your goal? Where do you want to be when it’s all over? No matter what.”
“Behind the bar, running a fun, welcoming place for people to relax. Slinging drinks instead of a hammer.”
“And by working with this woman you don’t like, are you going to get any closer to your goal?” He was too damn calm and logical.
“Yes, dammit.”
“So apologize. Clear the air. Then you can have a fresh start, a professional one.”
“I’ll think about it.” Davis made it sound so easy. But Beck hadn’t mentioned those unexpected, unwanted sparks of attraction that had no business being part of the equation. No one needed to know that.
He drained his beer and stood. “Time to go, Hol. School in the morning.” He’d wait until tomorrow to decide if he was going to give in to Rachel Bradford. One
way or another.
Chapter Three
The key wasn’t above the window when Rachel arrived at the firehouse the next morning. Beckett obviously didn’t want her inside the building and she supposed she couldn’t blame him. But she couldn’t wait to get her hands on his place.
She headed over to the Colburn and Sons showroom. She couldn’t help the sensation of walking into enemy territory. She’d been in there only the one time and she’d been so nervous she couldn’t even remember what it looked like. All she knew was what she’d heard from her parents. There were dirty piles of junk lying around. It was an embarrassment to the village.
There were no piles of anything. The huge showroom was filled with gorgeous repurposed items. It was like a mix of antique shop, furniture store, and art gallery. She ran her hand over the polished surface of a side table made of wood and iron. It didn’t look like junk. It was beautiful.
Donna Colburn stood behind the counter. “Rachel Bradford? Is that you?”
“Yes. Hi, Mrs. Colburn. How are you?” Beckett’s mother had short silver hair and was wearing a black Colburn and Sons Salvage T-shirt. Rachel’s mother would color her hair until the day she died and wouldn’t be caught dead in a tee, especially one with a logo on the front. Another thing Phoebe Bradford thought was crass. But Mrs. Colburn’s smile was warmer than Rachel remembered her mother’s ever being.
“I’m fine, thank you for asking. Beckett said he saw you yesterday. We didn’t expect you here so soon.”
“The network is quite eager for this episode.” She thought the plans had been made and the crew would be there today, but she was still waiting to hear back from Stu.
“We’re all so happy for your success. I catch you on the television every once in a while. My granddaughter loves your show.”
“Holly. Yes, I met her yesterday.”
“And now you’re going to do amazing things for our new business. We’re so grateful to you.”
“My producer pitched the idea, and of course I was happy to go along with it.” Rachel glanced around. “As a matter of fact, I’m looking for Beckett so we can get started.”
Mrs. Colburn checked her watch. “He should be here any minute. He drops Holly off at school before he comes in.”
“Well, look who’s here.” Ginny Colburn appeared behind her. She was Beckett’s cousin and also in their graduating class.
“Ginny,” she replied smoothly. They’d never been friendly back in high school, so Rachel wasn’t sure what kind of reception she was going to get from her.
“I saw you were in town.” Ginny’s tone was tentative, as if she wasn’t sure how to act with Rachel, either. “The village Facebook page is already bursting with comments. There was a picture of you with the Grady sisters on The Lilac Inn’s front porch.”
“They posted that selfie on social media?”
“Sure.” Ginny paused, then gave her a small smile. “I handle advertising for Colburn and Sons. Now that you’re here, I’m gonna start posting about you coming to town to film the episode.”
“Great.” The more buzz the better, even in Lakeside.
“I’ve been hinting at the new business for a while now but haven’t posted any details yet. Most people know the fire station’s going to be turned into a bar, but the crazy rumors are out there, too. You know Lakeside’s gossip mill.”
No one minded their own business here. Another one of the reasons Rachel had avoided Lakeside. Still, she couldn’t resist asking, “What kind of stuff are they saying?”
“Oh, you know, that we’re turning the old fire station into a house, or apartments, or that we’re tearing it down to make room for more junk. Or that it’s going to be a pizza place. Or a daycare center. Or even a strip club.” Ginny laughed. “I mean, anything you can think of, someone’s spread it as fact.”
“Rumors catch on like wildfire.” Rachel knew that firsthand and it wasn’t exclusive to Lakeside. Maybe she couldn’t use that as one of the excuses to avoid her hometown. There were plenty of others.
Mrs. Colburn shook her head. “I don’t understand people.”
“Now that Rachel’s in town, speculation is high. And that’s a good thing, Aunt Donna. People are talking about us. It’s time for us to capitalize on it all.”
“We can help each other build the buzz. Your business and my show.” Rachel pulled one of her cards out of her bag. “Here’s my assistant’s contact info.” She scribbled Mia’s email addy on the back. “She handles my social media. She’s coming here, too, but you could start coordinating posts now if you’d like.”
“Cool.” Ginny took the card. “Thanks.” She headed to a desk in the corner and left Rachel alone with Mrs. Colburn again.
She wished Beckett would get there. She didn’t know if she should mention his refusal yesterday to work with her. Evidently he hadn’t said anything to his mother. That had to be a good sign.
Her cell rang then. Stu. What would he say if she told him Beckett refused to work with her?
“Excuse me,” she said to Mrs. Colburn and crossed the showroom for some privacy before she answered. “Where are you?”
“A little snag in hiring a local crew. No one’s available yet, but they’re all dying to get on TV, so I’ll call you as soon as I know.”
“Damn small towns,” she mumbled. “Should I head back?” That wasn’t a bad idea. Put some space between herself and Beckett.
“Stay. Scout out locations. Build some buzz with the residents. We need drama, Rachel. Drama to get people talking about you and the show. I want to see drama. You understand?”
As much as she hated the thought of doing things for drama’s sake, she knew why she had to. Rachel curled her free hand into a fist, then pasted a smile on her face so she’d sound happy when she replied. “Sure, I understand.”
“Good. I’ll call you as soon as everything’s nailed down.”
She crossed back over to Mrs. Colburn, who was watching her closely. “Guess the crew won’t be here for a day or two. But Beckett and I can get started. Does Beckett have, um, the last say on the project?”
Mrs. Colburn narrowed her eyes, as if she was trying to figure out what Rachel was actually asking. “Well, the bar was his idea and, to be honest, he had to make a strong pitch in order to get everyone else on board. I know my husband will want to see your plans, but yes, this is Beckett’s business. So he’ll need to be happy with whatever you come up with.”
“And if I thought he was making a mistake?”
Mrs. Colburn’s brown eyes widened. “You don’t think you can trust Beckett’s ideas?”
She shouldn’t have said anything. “It’s not that. But what if he doesn’t agree with my ideas?” She wouldn’t let him ruin this chance. If Beckett wanted to cause trouble, could she appeal to his family to bring him around to her plans?
“Don’t worry, dear. I’m sure that will never happen.”
Rachel wished her mother had that kind of unwavering trust in her. She hoped Beckett’s mother was right. Rachel had never considered he wouldn’t want to work with her. Didn’t he understand they could help each other out? He needed a designer to get his bar finished. She needed a newsworthy episode or her show would be finished.
Rachel couldn’t imagine anything worse than everyone in her hometown witnessing her failure. Her parents gloating with one “I told you so” after another. Everyone shaking their heads with pity, feeling sorry for her.
Because the only thing worse than not achieving success at all, was having it…and then letting it slip through her fingers.
…
Beck confronted Noah in his office first thing in the morning. His mind had churned all night long, imagining his place turning into a mockery of a reality show, and he hated every part of it. All his family wanted was to take the control out of his hands.
He thumped his fist once
on the door, then opened it. “We need to talk.”
Noah looked up from his desk and took a sip from his coffee mug. “Have a seat. What’s on your mind?”
His voice was calm while Beck’s stomach was twisting, and that pissed him off even more. Noah had to know what was on his mind. Beck was tempted to remain standing, but there wasn’t any point. He sank into the chair. He wanted to talk calmly, man-to-man, not older-brother-to-little-brother. Then he ruined it by letting his hurt feelings run his mouth instead of starting the rational discussion he’d planned.
“You don’t trust me with the bar. That’s why you came up with this stupid TV show idea.”
He didn’t get even a little rise out of Noah. “It wasn’t my idea,” he responded smoothly. “They reached out to us.”
“And you handled the whole thing without consulting me at all.”
“There’s no bad side to this deal. You see that, right? You should be happy.”
Beck resisted the urge to surge to his feet. “Happy I’ve lost control of my business?”
“Happy that this deal will take some of the weight off your shoulders. We see how hard you work, how busy you are with Holly on top of the business and the bar. Having the TV network handle the design is one less thing you have to deal with.”
Yeah, Noah would have the justification all figured out. Beck gritted his teeth. “Mom and Pop. They still don’t trust me.”
“Of course, they trust you.”
Noah had always been the perfect son. He’d never admit their parents weren’t perfect. “I know when you’re feeding me bullshit.”
It took a lot to push Noah over the edge, but apparently Beck had managed to do just that. Noah’s expression clouded. “You ran away from home. From your family. You were gone for twelve years. Twelve years, Beck.”
There was no point in making excuses, no point in telling his brother that the woman coming to town to “help” him, was the one whose words had sent Beck fleeing the future he’d feared in the first place. “I haven’t proven myself in all the years since?”
“Sure you have. But, dammit, that was a long time for them to worry. They’re never going to forget.”
The Goodbye Guy (The Men of Lakeside) Page 4
